Sqeggs Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 Last one I needed for this little run. All are in (at best) mid-grade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Mann Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 Last one I needed for this little run. All are in (at best) mid-grade. BRAVO! mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sqeggs Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 Last one I needed for this little run. All are in (at best) mid-grade. BRAVO! mm Thanks. These are some of the oddest books ever ... but a lot of fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebel 1911 Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Haven't seen that before but that sure seems like an interesting concept. I do like that cover! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straw-Man Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Last one I needed for this little run. All are in (at best) mid-grade. BRAVO! mm marty, are you saying sqeggs' book isn't TERRIFIC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gino2paulus2 Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Last one I needed for this little run. All are in (at best) mid-grade. BRAVO! mm marty, are you saying sqeggs' book isn't TERRIFIC? I got him covered!! TERRIFIC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sqeggs Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 I think Mr. B owns the 9.2 copy of this one. Now that would be BRAVO + TERRIFIC squared! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Mann Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Last one I needed for this little run. All are in (at best) mid-grade. BRAVO! mm marty, are you saying sqeggs' book isn't TERRIFIC? I got him covered!! TERRIFIC BRAVO! and TERRIFIC! mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBedrock Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 I think Mr. B owns the 9.2 copy of this one. Now that would be BRAVO + TERRIFIC squared! Not anymore... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbcomicbox Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Last one I needed for this little run. All are in (at best) mid-grade. Great little run. It does not get any better than cowboys fighting Nazis on Mars! Here is my CBM article on it SPACE WESTERN COMICS The wonderful thing about comics is that their content and substance is unlimited. Occassionally, the “willing suspension of disbelief” gets pushed to its limit. Certainly that is the case with Space Western Comics, a shortlived comic published by Charlton Comics from 1952 to 1953. The late 1940s saw the demise of superheroes as the mainstay of comics. Crime, horror, war, western and science fiction were genres that were in vogue as the 1940s ended and the 1950s began. Charlton Comics took the popularity of two of these different genres and combined them in a uniquely bizarre comic whose lead feature was Spurs Jackson and his Space Vigilantes. This title combined six-shooters with spaceships to create what has to be one of the all-time esoteric comics. Spurs Jackson was a cowboy living in Arizona who also happened to be an electronic engineer. His Arizona homeland, over the course of six issues, was invaded by all sorts of strange creatures, ranging from the Sun People and the Meteor Men to the Artopods from Neptune (affectionally dubbed “Bems”- standing for “Bug Eyed Monsters”, of course). Aided by his two companions, Hank Roper and Strong Bow, Spurs Jackson kept Earth safe from all sorts of devilish plans of space invaders. Their weapon of choice, beyond the six-shooter and bow and arrow to thwart these alien efforts, was the ever-available atomic bomb. Additionally, many adventures would have this cast of characters whisk off to the moon, Mars, Mercury or Venus to foil various nefarious plots. The “plot” and “story” were at best thin, and were at some times so bad that they were good. Take, for instance, the story of “The Saucer Men” from Space Western Comics #40 (issue 1) which first introduced these characters. Spurs is minding his own business when his attention is drawn to a flying saucer landing in the Arizona desert. Sauntering over to the spaceship as figures emerge, Spurs says, “Well, well don’t tell me. You are from Mars”. To which the leader of the spaceship snappily replies, “Naturally we are from Mars”. Informed by the Martian leader, Korok, that he wishes Spurs and his men to accompany him back to Mars to prove that they had visited Earth, Spurs is given one “zuba” to pack (which packing includes a plutonium gun capable of shooting minature atom bombs). Well, as it turns out, Korok is a bad guy whose return with the earthmen supports his claim that he has conquered earth, thus triggering the overthrow of Queen Thula. Spurs and the boys make short work of Kurok and his henchman and have Queen Thula returned to her throne in no time (two pages to be exact). A grateful queen appoints Spurs the prime minister of Mars, to which Spurs remarks, “This could only happen on Mars.” However, so this title could continue, by the second story Queen Thula releases Spurs from this position so he can be ready to meet all future threats to the earth. These include the threat of Vodor and “The Green Men of Venus” (issue #41) who disguise themselves as cactus (yes, cactus), “The Sun Masters” who attempt to drain the sun of its energy (Spurs, as he shoots an alien sentry who points a ray-gun at Spurs, remarks, “Skip it buster. I don’t wear these six-guns just to hold my belt down.”), various rematches with Korok and Vodor who join forces to defeat Spurs, including shooting missles which contain moon borers from the moon to the earth, “Menace of the Meteor Men”, “Battle of Spaceman’s Gulch” with the Artopods from Neptune (who are defeated by members of the local science fiction club with mosquito spray) and other equally heart-stopping conflicts. But it is, perhaps, with “Trip to Mercury” (issue #43), wherein Strong Bow flys to Mercury in a rocketship contained in an Aztec Temple, fights ancient Aztec warriors and rescues a princess thought dead for 400 years, that it is realized that this is no end to these multi-genre stories. The very next issue contains a story that has to be the best of the best, the worst of the worst. It is a story that could not be contained in just one issue. In issue #44 is the beginning of the two-part story, “Madman of Mars”. This is a story that has cowboys fighting Nazi soldiers on Mars- A hydrogen bomb rocket destroys Paris, soon to be followed by other rockets that destroy Moscow, Honolulu and New York. It is up to Spurs Jackson and his Space Vigilantes to put an end to this nightmare. They track the source of the rockets to Mars, where they are attacked by Nazi soldiers. We learn that in the closing moments of World War II the “leader” and nine of his followers escaped in a rocket ship to Mars, where they have been planning their revenge to destroy their enemies. In a swift and deadly fight, Spurs and the boys are able to overcome these Nazi devils and to destory the rocket launch area. However, they are too late to capture the “leader” and the last two of his men. Undaunted by the 900,000 mile lead the Nazis have, Spurs relentlessly pursues, in issue #45, “the greatest living menaces to decent mankind the world has ever known”. Yes, boys and girls, Spurs is hot on the heels of Adolph Hitler! Hitler crashes his rocketship on an inhabited asteroid. Blaming his companion Richter for the crash, Hitler shoots him and leaves him for dead. Hitler takes over the asteroid from its “simple people” when Spurs shows up. A deadly impasse ensues between Spurs and Hitler, which is broken when the severely wounded Richter appears and puts a final end to Hitler. It is perhaps fitting that this story is contained in the sixth and final issue. Although short-lived, Space Western Comics will always be, in the grand history of comic books, one of the most bizarre titles ever to have been created. 10/31/93 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comicjack Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Brand new find all unread copies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comicjack Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comicjack Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrocHntr Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Dang. Those are nice! Congrats on the find. That Lightning cover is very cool (and the other two aren't so shabby either). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gino2paulus2 Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Brand new find all unread copies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxtrot70 Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Any Captain America Fans? 1940s Brazil image by foxtrot70, on Flickr image by foxtrot70, on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
october Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 image by foxtrot70, on Flickr Awesome cover! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Surfer Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Wow those are awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Surfer Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Any Captain America Fans? 1940s Brazil image by foxtrot70, on Flickr image by foxtrot70, on Flickr Love those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norrin's lawyer Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 These are incredible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
